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NEW YORK (AP) The WNBA tips off its 20th season this weekend with the return of some familiar faces and the finale for others.

Diana Taurasi is back for the Phoenix Mercury after sitting out last year to rest.

''I had little injuries that I could play through but when you don't feel good physically, it starts draining on you,'' Taurasi said earlier this week. ''Mentally I needed a little bit of a break. I just needed to recharge. ... I had one of my best years in Russia. Now I'm back here and ready to go.''

She's not the only one raring to start the season. Skylar Diggins and Chiney Ogwumike are returning too after being sidelined by injuries last year. Diggins tore her anterior cruciate ligament early in the season while Ogwumike was recovering from microfracture surgery in her knee and missed the entire year.

''I'm excited. I'm anxious,'' Diggins said. ''New market ... All this rehab, and all this stuff, just to get to this point. It's time, so I'm definitely excited.''

Diggins hopes to pick up where she left off before she was injured last year. She'll be doing it in front of a new fan base as Tulsa moved to Dallas in the offseason.

''The buzz around our team, the buzz around the 20th year of the WNBA. It's a big year, so it all seems like it's coming together nicely,'' she said.

While those three are hoping to make triumphant returns, Tamika Catchings will be donning an Indiana Fever uniform for the final time as she announced prior to last season that she would retire at the end of this year.

''I am trying to soak up every single moment we have together,'' she said. ''Even through training camp and making sure we're doing all the things we're supposed to be doing, and I'm doing as much as I can, soak in the good times and the bad times. It's going to be really special.''

Catchings, who is starting her 15th year in the league, came so close to leading the Fever to their second WNBA championship in franchise history before falling to the Minnesota Lynx in the decisive game of their best-of-five series.

Minnesota is aiming for its fourth championship in six years and will try and become just the third team in the history of the league to repeat as champions. The Lynx will receive their championship rings on Saturday before they face Phoenix in the opener. Minnesota and Phoenix are 1-2 in the inaugural Associated Press WNBA power poll released Friday.

''Minnesota is a great team. They proved it last year by winning the WNBA championship and I'm sure they're favorites to win it this year,'' Taurasi said. ''We're going to go out there and worry about ourselves this season.''

The road to the title will be different this season as the league changed its playoff format. Now the top eight teams, regardless of conference, will make the postseason. This would allow the best two teams to potentially play for the title no matter if they are in the East or West.

That's not the only change the league made this offseason. The WNBA went to a more balanced schedule allowing its stars like MVP Elena Delle Donne and Maya Moore to play in more cities more often. It also will give a chance for No. 1 pick Breanna Stewart to return East more. The UConn grad, drafted by Seattle, will make two trips to New York and one to Connecticut.

''It's a great change and definitely one that I'm happy about,'' Delle Donne said. ''Any chance we have to showcase our great players to more fans is great for the league.''

The WNBA also has a new president as Lisa Borders took over in March.

The league is getting an early start this season with the Rio Olympics set to take place this summer. The WNBA will take a break from July 23-Aug. 25.

The WNBA season begins in May as the Minnesota Lynx look to win back-to-back championships for the first time in franchise history. The Lynx have won three titles, all coming on odd years (2011, 2013, 2015), most recently beating the Indiana Fever in five games.

A Western Conference squad has won the championship in seven of the past eight seasons, while five of the 12 teams in the league compiled at least 20 victories last season.

Sportsbook.ag released season win totals for all 12 clubs, as the Phoenix Mercury are expected to have the most victories, listed at 23 ½. The defending champion Lynx aren’t even listed second in the win total category, as the Chicago Sky’s victory total is set at 22 ½.

Minnesota and New York each sit at 21 ½ wins heading into the campaign as the Liberty has eclipsed this total just twice in the last 13 seasons.

Listed below are the standings from the 2015 season and the win totals for the upcoming 2016 campaign.

NEW YORK (AP) The Minnesota Lynx sit atop the first Associated Press WNBA poll.

The defending champions received 10 first-place votes from the national media panel on Friday.

''We take a lot of pride in that we are the inaugural No. 1,'' Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. ''I've talked to our four captains who have been the foundation of building this special time in our history. Things like this to add to our legacy.''

The Phoenix Mercury garnered the other four top votes and are second in the inaugural poll. The two teams will play in Minnesota on Saturday as the league tips off its 20th season this weekend.

''Minnesota is a great team. They proved it last year by winning the WNBA championship and I'm sure they're favorites to win it this year,'' said Phoenix's Diana Taurasi. ''Out4Redemption is for ourselves, and for the things we want to get done, and we're going to go out there and worry about ourselves this season.''

Chicago, New York and Indiana round out the first five teams in the poll.

Los Angeles is sixth, followed by Dallas, Washington, Seattle, Connecticut, Atlanta and San Antonio.

Taurasi was chosen by the media as the preseason player of the year.

''This is huge,'' she said. ''The media are the people who follow every game and follow our careers. There's interest in a preseason award and that means a lot, so now I have to go out there and play.''

Taurasi, who sat out the 2015 WNBA season to rest, was also part of the five-member preseason all-WNBA team. The Mercury star was joined by Minnesota's Maya Moore, Chicago's Elena Delle Donne, Los Angeles' Candace Parker and New York's Tina Charles. Moore was the only unanimous choice among the group.

Could the New York Liberty's 20th season finally be the one in which they capture an elusive WNBA title?

The Liberty posted the league's best record a season ago and have made some major additions as they open Saturday night on the road against a Washington Mystics team without Ivory Latta.

New York went 23-11 a year ago before being ousted by Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals. The successful campaign didn't result in an idle offseason.

The Liberty added help on the perimeter by signing veteran guard Lindsey Harding and acquiring 3-point specialist Shoni Schimmel from Atlanta.

They also traded for Amanda Zahui B from Dallas. The 6-foot-5 Zahui B will back up star center Tina Charles, with the Liberty also featuring the 6-6 Carolyn Swords and 6-3 Kiah Stokes as frontcourt options. New York is opting to believe that bigger is better.

"We have a lot of size out there, no overbearing size but from Swords at 6-6 down to Tina at 6-3, we can do a lot of things," coach Bill Laimbeer said.

Charles is a former league MVP who finished third in the voting last year and will again form a one-two scoring punch with Epiphanny Prince for the Liberty, who have lost all four WNBA Finals appearances for the most in league history without winning a title.

"You never know what you have till you start playing and this year's no exception," Laimbeer said.

New York was the only team to post double-digit road victories a year ago with an 11-6 mark. The Liberty lost three of four to Washington in the 2015 regular season before eliminating the Mystics in three games in the first round of the playoffs, tying the series with an 86-68 rout on the road in Game 2.

Washington went 18-16 in 2015 for a third straight playoff appearance but will be without Latta for at least the first month after knee surgery. She led the team with 13.4 points per game.

The Mystics matched Connecticut with 24.6 percent of their points coming on 3-pointers in 2015 and will debut rookie Kahleah Copper, who averaged 17.7 points while shooting 38.6 percent on 3s this past season for Rutgers.

"I can bring the controllables like the energy and the effort," Copper said. "This is a great defensive team and I'm just ready to compete on the defensive end and let the offense flow."

Washington figures to test New York inside with post players Emma Meesseman and Stefanie Dolson combining to average more than 22 points a year ago.

The Minnesota Lynx are well aware of the difficulty in repeating as WNBA champions.

The Phoenix Mercury expect to make it that much harder.

As the Lynx begin their quest for a fourth title in six years, the Mercury enter Target Center on Saturday night with equally high expectations after getting Diana Taurasi back in the fold.

Despite indisputably establishing itself as the league's preeminent power of this decade, back-to-back championships remain an elusive feat for Minnesota. The Lynx were upset by Indiana in the 2012 WNBA Finals and fell to a powerhouse Mercury squad in the 2014 Western Conference finals before avenging both defeats during last year's run.

With a chance to become the third franchise to repeat and first since Los Angeles in 2002, the Lynx don't figure to rest on their lofty accomplishments.

'I'm not going to shy away from the idea that this group deserves to have on their resume, their legacy, that we were repeat champions,' coach Cheryl Reeve said. 'They deserve to have that. So I'm not going to shy away from that publicly and I'm not going to shy away from that internally. It's something that we're going to go after with everything we have.'

With the decorated core of Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson still intact, 2015 finals MVP Sylvia Fowles available for a full season and veteran guard Jia Perkins added via trade, the Lynx appear well-equipped for another title chase.

Phoenix looms as Minnesota's biggest threat, especially with Taurasi back after playing exclusively in Europe in 2015. The 2009 league MVP and seven-time All-Star turns 34 next month but clearly isn't in decline, as she showed by leading the Euroleague in scoring for champion UMMC Ekaterinburg.

'She's the best player in the world, but I haven't seen her play as well as she did (in Europe) this past offseason," coach Sandy Brondello said.

With sharp-shooter Penny Taylor also returning from a one-year hiatus and All-Stars Brittney Griner, DeWanna Bonner and Candice Dupree still on the roster, the Mercury have their entire starting five from the 2014 team that dispatched the Lynx in three games en route to the title.

Minnesota turned the tables by sweeping the Mercury in last year's conference finals prior to outlasting Indiana in five games to win the championship.

"There's never been a game that I've wanted to win so bad," said Griner of the opener. "I can't wait to go."

Including the playoffs, the Mercury have lost five straight at Minnesota since an 80-72 win in June 2014 behind Taurasi's 21 points and 11 assists. Phoenix took three of five meetings during the 2015 regular season.

With league MVP Elena Delle Donne leading the way, the Chicago Sky were the WNBA's highest-scoring team in 2015. They were also one of the worst at keeping opponents off the scoreboard.

The Sky are hoping that 6-foot-7 rookie center and skilled shot blocker Imani Boyette can remedy that issue, beginning with Saturday night's visit from the Connecticut Sun.

Delle Donne averaged career highs of 23.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in her third WNBA season while helping Chicago register 82.9 points per game. The Sky also allowed the second-most points per contest (78.8) and gave up a combined 189 in two losses to Indiana during a first-round playoff exit.

Chicago sent two-time league defensive player of the year Sylvia Fowles to Minnesota as part of a three-team deal in July after she refused to play for the team. The Sky are hoping Boyette can fill her sizable role after blocking 303 shots in four seasons at Texas, including 104 as a senior while being named the Big 12's co-defensive player of the year.

Boyette, taken with the 10th overall pick, has the bloodline to play at the next level with mother Pamela McGee having played in the WNBA. Her half-brother is Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGee.

"We won't be second to last defensively," coach Pokey Chatman told the league's official website. "When you become a better defensive team, it's amazing how much better you become offensively, and this group doesn't know that. And I think when they sense that and feel that they will understand."

Boyette and the Sky will try to spoil Curt Miller's coaching debut for the Sun.

Miller is inheriting a team that finished tied for last in the Eastern Conference while missing the playoffs in a franchise-worst third consecutive season. The Sun had two of the top four draft picks - taking Morgan Tuck and Rachel Banham - then acquired No. 6 selection Jonquel Jones from Los Angeles.

Tuck was the last of three players selected from the University of Connecticut's championship squad following Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson. Banham was the nation's second-leading scorer (28.6 points per game) in 2015-16 and had 3,093 career points for Minnesota, including 60 in a win at Northwestern on Feb. 7.

Jones averaged 16.2 points and 9.6 rebounds in her senior season at George Washington. She'll join last season's leading scorer, center Kelsey Bone (15.4 points) and 2014 rookie of the year Chiney Ogwumike in the frontcourt.

With Ogwumike sitting out last season while recovering from knee surgery, Alex Bentley was Connecticut's only other player averaging in double figures at 14.7.

"We like our nucleus. The future is very, very bright," Miller said. "Chemistry and building a culture in the locker room is a big part of building championships on-court. We're working hard to create the type of family environment that we want, and we think it translates onto the court."

Connecticut won three of the five meetings in 2015 and split two games in Chicago.

DALLAS (18 - 18) at INDIANA (26 - 19) - 5/14/2016, 6:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 2-1 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 2-2 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

NEW YORK (26 - 14) at WASHINGTON (19 - 18) - 5/14/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 279-334 ATS (-88.4 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 16-31 ATS (-18.1 Units) in home games on Saturday games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 176-220 ATS (-66.0 Units) vs. division opponents since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-6 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 6-6 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

PHOENIX (22 - 16) at MINNESOTA (29 - 15) - 5/14/2016, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 12-27 ATS (-17.7 Units) in May games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 7-7 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 8-6 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
11 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

ATLANTA (15 - 19) at SAN ANTONIO (8 - 26) - 5/14/2016, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 4-0 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 3-1 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 5-4 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-4 straight up against CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

8) Braves 5, Royals 0-- Mike Foltynewsicz shut Royals out for eight innins, then got picked up by my fantasy team while I was sitting in a bar listening to live music.

7) Orioles 9, Tigers 3-- Baltimore is 23-12; Showalter is a great manager- at one point in spring training, Orioles were 0-10 and there was unstated concern. But those games do not atter and now the O's are in first place.

6) Phillies 4, Reds 3-- Philly is now 14-3 in games decided by one run.

5) Angels 9, Mariners 7-- Jhoulys Chacin was excellent in his Halos debut, but LA's bullpen blew 6-2 lead on him, then Seattle bullpen blew that lead in ninth.

4) No NBA team should draft Cheick Diallo in the first round; he averaged 3.0 ppg and 2.5 rpg in his only year at Kasnas-n he played 7.5 mpg. Why would a kid leave school so early when he clearly is not ready? .

3) Russell Wilson gave the commencement address at Wisconsin yesterday; he went to school in Madison for one year, after transferring from NC State.

2) Cubs are 15-2 vs NL West rivals, 12-6 vs everyone else.

1) Giants and Dodger are tied atop NL West, three games over .500. No bueno.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Maya Moore had 27 points and a career-high 10 assists to help the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx open the season with a 95-76 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night.

Seimone Augustus added 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting, Sylvia Fowles had 17 points and 14 rebounds for her 100th career double-double and Lindsay Whalen chipped in with 14.

Moore, Fowles, Augustus and Whalen made 33 of their 54 shots and the Lynx finished shooting 54 percent from the field.

Minnesota opened the season with the top ranking in the AP WNBA power poll, receiving 10 of the 14 first-place votes. Phoenix ranked second and garnered the other four votes for the top spot.

Diana Taurasi led the Mercury with 18 points in her return. She sat out last season. Penny Taylor scored 13, Brittney Griner added 12 and DeWanna Bonner 10.

LIBERTY 87, MYSTICS 76

WASHINGTON (AP) - Tina Charles scored 24 points, including a three-point play that sparked a late run, to help the Liberty beat the Mystics.

With 2:39 left and the game tied at 73, Charles started the spurt with a basket and free throw. Kiah Stokes added a basket and New York had three free throws to make it 81-73. Stefanie Dolson finally ended the drought, hitting a free throw with 27 seconds remaining. The Liberty hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Sugar Rodgers added 19 points for New York, which was fourth in the inaugural Associated Press power poll this week.

Tayler Hill scored 20 points and Bria Hartley added 17 for the Mystics, who opened the season at No. 6 in the poll.

Dallas, formerly the Tulsa Shock, started the season ranked seventh in the AP WNBA Power Rankings. Indiana opened the season fifth.

Odyssey Sims had 14 points, Karima Christmas scored 13 and Theresa Plaisance added 12 for the Wings, who played without star Skylar Diggins. She tore her ACL last season. The Wings said after the game that Diggins was day-to-day. Dallas plays in New York on Sunday night.

Tiffany Mitchell, the ninth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft, led the Fever with 18 points in her debut.

DREAM 73, STARS 63, OT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Angel McCoughtry scored four of her 15 points in overtime to help Atlanta beat San Antonio.

The Dream took the lead for good 17 seconds into the extra period on Clarendon's 3-point play. Kayla McBride answered to cut the deficit to one, but the Stars went scoreless the rest of the way as the Dream pulled away.

McBride led the Stars with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting and Dearica Hamby added 14.

The Sky's Elena Delle Donne, who led the WNBA in scoring (23.8 per game) and was named league MVP last season, missed the game with an illness.

Connecticut missed six of its first seven field-goal attempts as the Sky, who never trailed, built a 10-4 lead.

Rachel Banham and Morgan Tuck each hit a 3-pointer to cut the Sun's deficit to 14-13 with 1:38 left in the first quarter, but Cheyenne Parker scored the final seven points in a 19-5 run that gave Chicago a 15-point lead with 5:57 to go in the first half.

SEATTLE (10 - 24) at LOS ANGELES (15 - 22) - 5/15/2016, 5:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 11-25 ATS (-16.5 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 5-17 ATS (-13.7 Units) in home games in May, June, or July games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 5-4 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 5-4 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

DALLAS (18 - 18) at NEW YORK (26 - 14) - 5/15/2016, 5:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) in home games when playing on back-to-back days since 1997.
NEW YORK is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 2-1 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 3-1 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

5:00 PMDALLAS vs. NEW YORK
Dallas is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas's last 7 games on the road
New York is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home
New York is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home

5:00 PMSEATTLE vs. LOS ANGELES
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games on the road
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 19 of Los Angeles's last 25 games when playing Seattle
Los Angeles is 8-16-1 ATS in its last 25 games at home

It's time to find out whether Breanna Stewart will live up to the hype for the Seattle Storm.

Her professional debut comes against a player who could have extra incentive in Los Angeles Sparks superstar Candace Parker.

Parker was snubbed from the United States Olympic team with the rookie Stewart making the squad, and that's one of the juicy subplots in the season opener for both teams Sunday at Staples Center.

There has long been anticipation in the WNBA for Stewart, a do-everything forward who became the first player in NCAA history to earn most outstanding player of the Final Four honors in four years as she led Connecticut to four titles. She has drawn comparisons to former Storm star and three-time league MVP Lauren Jackson, who announced her retirement this offseason.

Stewart, who averaged 19.4 points and 8.7 rebounds this past season, is eager to begin.

'Everybody is excited and I'm excited," she said. "I couldn't wait to get here and meet everyone. They're trying to turn things around and make a change, and that is what's happening.'

There's already controversy surrounding Stewart because of her UConn ties. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma is also the U.S. Olympic coach and selected the unproven rookie for the squad.

Her addition in part meant that Parker was left off the squad, with many believing that the Sparks star having attended Tennessee was a factor. Parker is a two-time WNBA MVP who helped the U.S. capture gold in the last two Olympics.

'I was surprised, very surprised," Parker said. 'I was looking forward to this summer. I played well up until this point. Played well in both camps. I felt like my game is still in its prime.'

Parker, limited to 16 games a season ago due to injuries, is healthy now. She averaged 19.4 points and 10.1 boards in 2015.

She has a new coach in Brian Agler, who guided Seattle from 2008-14 and led the Storm to their second championship in 2010. He'll try to help the franchise bounce back from a second straight losing season in 2015, with the Sparks going 14-20 and falling to Minnesota in the conference semifinals.

Seattle finished 2015 with the league's second-worst mark at 10-24, including a 2-15 road record. The Storm are seeking to avoid missing the playoffs three straight years for the first time.

Stewart could become the second straight Seattle player to win rookie of the year honors after Jewell Loyd, who averaged 10.7 points a season ago. Los Angeles is looking for a big campaign from 2012 rookie of the year Nneka Ogwumike - one of six former All-Stars on the roster.

Tina Charles did her part to get New York's 20th season started with a win and now looks to help the Liberty begin establishing themselves as a dominant force at home.

Charles and the Liberty kick off the home portion of their schedule Sunday against the Dallas Wings at Madison Square Garden.

The Liberty opened with an 87-76 victory at Washington on Saturday after going a WNBA-best 23-11 last season - setting a team record for victories - before losing to Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals.

Charles, a native of Queens, scored 24 points and sparked a late 8-0 run with a 3-point play. She shot 11 of 21 from the floor and added 11 rebounds, while Sugar Rodgers chipped in 18 points for New York.

Two-time All-Star guard Shoni Schimmel, acquired by the Liberty in a May trade with Atlanta, did not play.

New York has appeared in the WNBA Finals three times but never won a championship, and a strong showing at home this year will be key to another run at the title after the Liberty went 12-5 at MSG in 2015.

"We are fortunate to have passionate and loyal fans," team president Isiah Thomas told the team's official website.

One of those five home losses last season came against the Tulsa Shock, who relocated to Dallas in the offseason and were re-christened the Wings. Tulsa won both meetings last season and has taken four of the previous six.

The franchise's first game under the new banner ended in celebration as the Wings beat the Fever 90-79 on the road Saturday.

Plenette Pierson scored 17 points for Dallas, which never trailed after rallying with a 14-2 run to take a 58-53 lead in the third quarter. The Fever tied it at 68 on rookie Tiffany Mitchell's driving layup late in the period, but she failed to convert the 3-point play and Dallas pulled ahead from there.

Odyssey Sims had 14 points, Karima Christmas added 13 and Theresa Plaisance scored 12 for the Wings, who played without star guard Skylar Diggins. She's day-to-day as she makes a comeback from reconstructive knee surgery that ended her 2015 season.

The Wings are opening the season with a three-game trip that ends against Washington on Wednesday before they play in front of their new home fans in Arlington for the first time Saturday against San Antonio.

NEW YORK (AP) Sugar Rodgers scored a career-best 24 points and Tina Charles added 24 to lead New York to a 79-71 victory over the Dallas Wings on Sunday in the Liberty's home opener Sunday night.

The Liberty (2-0) had the game's first 11 points, including the opening eight by Charles, who added 11 rebounds. They led by seven at the half before the Wings tied it at 43 early in the third quarter.

Dallas (1-1) couldn't ever take the lead and New York scored 13 of the next 17 points to take command. Rodgers hit six of her eight 3-point tries.

Amanda Zahui B. scored 10 points for New York. The Wings traded her to the Liberty on Wednesday for New York's first-round pick next year.

Dallas was without Skylar Diggins for the second straight game. She is still recovering from an ACL injury that forced her to miss most of last season.

Theresa Plaisance and Odyssey Sims had 14 points each to lead Dallas. Courtney Paris added 13 points and 12 rebounds.

The WNBA season begins in May as the Minnesota Lynx look to win back-to-back championships for the first time in franchise history. The Lynx have won three titles, all coming on odd years (2011, 2013, 2015), most recently beating the Indiana Fever in five games.

A Western Conference squad has won the championship in seven of the past eight seasons, while five of the 12 teams in the league compiled at least 20 victories last season.

Sportsbook.ag released season win totals for all 12 clubs, as the Phoenix Mercury are expected to have the most victories, listed at 23 ½. The defending champion Lynx aren’t even listed second in the win total category, as the Chicago Sky’s victory total is set at 22 ½.

Minnesota and New York each sit at 21 ½ wins heading into the campaign as the Liberty has eclipsed this total just twice in the last 13 seasons.

Listed below are the standings from the 2015 season and the win totals for the upcoming 2016 campaign.

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Good to be home after vacation......

13) 76ers won the NBA Draft Lottery, will probably take Ben Simmons, seeing as how coach Brett Brown coached Simmons' dad in Australia a long time ago.

12) Cavaliers 115, Raptors 84-- Cleveland is now 9-0 this postseason. Looks like the drama in this round will be in the series out west.

11) Warriors' Klay Thompson scored 25 points in first three quarters of Game 1 with the Thunder, but was scoreless in the fateful 4th quarter.

10) MLB suspended Rougned Odor eight games after Sunday's fight with Toronto, but because of a ridiculous appeal system MLB has, Odor is playing this week. Once the suspension is announced, the player should be suspended immediately. The way it is now, the player basically gets to choose when he is suspended.

9) Rays 12, Jays 2-- Toronto lost its last four games, was outscored 25-4 in the last two; they've also lost four in a row at home.

7) Braves fired manager Fredi Gonzalez, then lost 12-9 to the Pirates, with one of its top pitching prospects giving up nine runs in less than two innings. No bueno.

6) Pirates gave catcher Dominic Cervelli $31M for three years, a sign of the ballclub's commitment to winning. Good for them.

5) Had great seats for the Marlins-Phillies game in Philly Monday night. Sat right next to ballgirl in right field. They don't have an easy job.

When the Phillies change pitchers, the ballgirl sprints out to the bullpen in centerfield to get the pitcher's jacket from the clubhouse attendant- they're not allowed to interact with the players directly. When the visiting team changes pitchers, the ballgirl down the leftfield line gets the jacket.

There are 22 ballgirls in Philly; they rotate between field duty and running the team's 50-50 raffle for charity and working in the team's recycling drive.

4) Restaurant recommendations: Crab Trap in Ocean City, NJ and the Anchorage Tavern in Somers Point, where I got a piece of chicken parm that looked like it could tip over Fred Flintstone's car.

3) A's 8, Rangers 5-- Khris Davis homered three times, the last one a walk-off grand slam to send everyone home happy. Oakland has won four of last five games since the epic pounding their pitching staff took in Boston last week.

2) Good to see Mets fans give Daniel Murphy an ovation on his return to Citi Field last night; he was my dad's favorite player and is hitting .399 this year.

1) My dad passed away a year ago today; I miss him a lot. Would be great to sit and watch a game with him one more time- he really loved baseball, especially the Mets.

MINNESOTA (29 - 15) at CHICAGO (22 - 15) - 5/18/2016, 12:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in road games after allowing 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 14-30 ATS (-19.0 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-1 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 3-1 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

PHOENIX (22 - 16) at INDIANA (26 - 19) - 5/18/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 13-24 ATS (-13.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 12-28 ATS (-18.8 Units) in May games since 1997.
PHOENIX is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) against Eastern conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 54-33 ATS (+17.7 Units) on Wednesday since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA is 3-1 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA is 2-2 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

DALLAS (18 - 18) at WASHINGTON (19 - 18) - 5/18/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 279-335 ATS (-89.5 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 31-49 ATS (-22.9 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 31-52 ATS (-26.2 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 167-213 ATS (-67.3 Units) after a division game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 2-1 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 3-1 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

12:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Minnesota's last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota

7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. INDIANA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Phoenix is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Indiana
Indiana is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing Phoenix

7:00 PM
DALLAS vs. WASHINGTON
Dallas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas

NEW YORK (AP) The WNBA announced Monday that it will offer detailed box scores after each game. They will include such categories as effective field goal percentage, player impact estimate, true shooting percentage and defensive rating.

The box scores will be available on WNBA.com shortly after each game.

The league is also updating its archive with regular box scores from every game over its 20-year history. Currently every game since 2007 is available on the website. Soon every game from 1997-2006 will be added.

The league felt it was an important project with the league celebrating its 20th season. The WNBA has also launched a video vault that will feature highlights.

-- Six of the seven outcomes in the first weekend were decided by double digits.

-- The largest margin took place on Sunday May 15 with the Los Angeles Sparks dominating the Seattle Storm 96-66 in wire-to-wire fashion.

-- The New York Liberty opened the season with back-to-back victories, beating Washington 87-76 on the road before knocking off Dallas 79-71 at home.

-- The anticipated showdown between the defending WNBA champions Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury ended in a blowout. The Lynx hammered the Mercury 96-76 as a four-point home favorite and the ‘over’ (154) connected with help from a big first-half (94 points).

-- The Dallas Wings, formerly the Tulsa Shock, earned its first win of the season with a 90-79 victory on Saturday over Indiana. The Wings were the only underdog (+4) to cash over weekend.